charlieblue

I applaud you all for your tenacity and hard work which brought you to this point! I'm down 57 lbs. from top wt. 236 and already notice skin beginning to sag. I'd better start in with weights again soon! Tell me livvsmom, HOW in the world do you find the time between meals to get 80 oz. of water into (and through) that little sleeve?! This has been my biggest challenge.

Excellent "food for thought!" Thank you for sharing this story.

Thank you for this tip and for the explanations. I will ask my surgeon about this and likely get a bracelet soon!

Go girl! You've got this! Good luck. We're here for ya on the other side. Sip-sip-sip, pee-pee-pee and walk-walk-walk!

Wahoo! You're almost there!

Wahoo! You're almost there!

Hey ladies & gents: congrats to the new sleevers and esp. Those who made it through the snow to the hospital by sled or skis! Hang in there with hicchups, gas, etc. Walking really IS the cure to much of the post-op challenges. I see my surgeon this mornin' for my first post-op follow up nearly 20 lbs. down! :0) Probably going to return my "UN-flavored" UNJury. Sweaty Ass is a pretty accurate description! LMAO! I TRIED to like it, in two different soups and vanilla sf pudding but it was VILE - ironic given it's "UNFLAVORED" right?! I was taken in by their responsive nutritionist who replied to my emailed questions about their high-sodium soup and to ask how the heck they came up with the name UNJury (it's supposed to be the opposite of INJury... uuuhhhh, ooookayyyy??!). They nicely provided a small food thermometer cuz the temp can't exceed 130 deg. for hot liquids or else the powder starts to turn into wallpaper paste. Their "reason" for the 770 mg. sodium chicken soup is that reg. canned soups are much higher and their taste tests found lower sodium soups don't taste as good with their protein isolate --- duh, no kidding!!! I must admit that their "Chocolate Splendor" IS the best tasting chocolate protein supplement I've tried. It doesn't have that wicked diet taste like most others so I'll stick with that one and find other low sodium soups that are at least palatable. On a separate note, please get the flu shot. My girlfriend just died of flu complications yesterday at age 50 leaving behind a 20-yr-old son and 5-yr-old twin girls. Life is precious. Cherish life! Happy Valentines Day!! <3

Apologies - I have a habbit of using emoji-cons. Please ignore the gibberish within my last post. It started with a 4-leaf clover and then I inserted clapping hands/applause. Use your imagination folks! :0) Jencovi: my husband IS 1-in-a-million. NO ONE in our family stays alone in a hospital overnight. Luckily my room had a chair that pulled out into a "bed" for him. I needed him to help me disconnect and reconnecf the multitude of hoses etc. from the IV pole and these funky "leg compression cuffs" every hour so I could shuffle to and fro from the bathroom. The nurse was wonderful about takin' care of business too but she had other patients too. It was great having his help - and MUCH less scary. Whenever my breathing became too shallow the pulse-ox sensor triggered an alarm. It was hilarious 'cuz my hubby would wake up and yell, "BREATHE!!" LOL!!! It's been just over a week since 2/3 and these details are already starting to fade in my memory. Thanks for prompting me to recall this part of the journey. I AM lucky to be married to one of the good guys.

????good luck to everyone about to be sleeved‼️ Congrats to all those in the first couple of days of recovery???????????????????? SarahJane and Jencovi, thanks for some of the best laughs I've had in ages. Go Xanax! I actually had some expired leftovers from a long time ago. I planned to take one the night before surgery but was afraid I'd oversleep (even though the potency would be reduced). I really wanted it once I got to the hospital but my amazingly calm husband calmed my nerves.

Jencovi we'll be with ya at the Dr. appt. and beyond. Yes, you've totally got this! ????

Be strong and brave zoumommy and lulusmom! Sending healing thoughts your way! To those in the L.A. area, my surgery was on 2/3 at Kaiser WLA. I'm sure Cedars-Sinai is top-notch too. One day soon we should get together and toast to our mutual success over some Isopure and water!! Ha ha!!

More general advice -- be sure to stay ahead of your pain by keeping up with meds. post-op. Otherwise it feels achy each time you sip of anything and it makes it tough to get those ounces into the new tum-tum! You can feel it goin' down -- not in a good way. I was 'trying' to be good by going to bed at 11:30 vs. trying to stay awake to watch more of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. I took my last pain pill at 7:45 pm so i could take it again at 11:45 pm (every 4-6 hrs as needed). Stubborn me wanted to wait the full six hours until 1:45 am (or later). Well I just woke up now (it's 4:15 am) and... Ooooo it doesn't feel very good swallowing the four pieces of my "split in half" broken pill. ???? moral of the story: post-surgery is NO time to act 'noble' and stuff! Just TAKE IT! You'll sleep and get back to sleep MUCH better. xoxo????

On your way out, tell the dicky/bitchy wait staff they're being filmed for that TV show, "What Would You Do?" and that they'll be featured on an upcoming episode to expose how poorly some places treat their customers. Ha ha!

Hi Superfatty, you're soon gonna have to change that screen name to Superskinny! Thanks for clarifying -- for ggdrop on my behalf that Yes - It was only on Tues. night - my 1st night home after 2/3 surgery that I suffered with my bed. Also, pill swallowing wasn't nearly as painful as feared. Jello is a great trick. Just wrap the pill in jello, tilt your head back and place the little blob toward the back of your tongue. It slides right down once ya get the hang of it! ???? cwang, thanks for all your sweet notes. I don't mind your references to Jesus - but please understand that I happen to be Jewish, so it's better not to assume that everyone is a Christian. G-d bless. I'm excited to move from Stage 1 (clear liquids) to Stage 2 (full liquids) tomorrow! Lost 17 lbs. since HW and 8 are just since 2/3 surgery! So proud of myself. Haven't been on all liquids for this long since my tonsilectomy at age 17!

Let's see, Day 0 was the day after surgery (Tues). Today, 2/5 Wed. Was Day 1 and I've felt my sleeve gurgle a lot -- which feels somewhat like hunger pangs pre-surgery - but I'm NOT actually hungry - just trying to sip as much protein (Isopure) as I can - which hasn't been anywhere near the 30 oz. goal - more like 12 oz. today & 8 oz. yesterday. This is tough!

Thanks very much for all your kind messages. It's been a rocky road and finally getting better. Had sever pain post-op and a 100 fever on my 1st night home (last night). I just could not tolerate the taste of the liquid pain meds. I had a tough time without the hospital bed - no handles to grab ahold of to get back-n-forth to the bathroom. Slept sitting up in bed with about a dozen pillows for support. Awful. Finally this afternoon my Dr. ok'd a pain tablet (Norco) which I managed to swallow down with jello once cut in half. What a miracle! I feel SO much better now and was able to take a nice long walk. Such a relief. Now, back to sips of the 4th flavor of Isopure. Mmmmm! Ha ha. I've lost 7lbs. since surgery - how is that even possible?! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the scale. Yay!

☔️Finally a little rain is falling here in L.A.! Can't sleep. Was afraid this would happen. My alarm is set for 4:15 am. Check-in time is 5:45 am at the hospital. It's 11:15 pm and I'm about to take my last sips of water until post-op. ????????Frightened and excited at the same time. Prayers welcome and offered for all my Feb. 3 & 4 Bariatric Buddies -- and to all of you regardless of surgery date. We're all in this together.

Ok. So it's 1:23 am in L.A. now. My husband took me out to a nice dinner for my last non-liquid meal prior to surgery. This is ACTUALLY going to happen! I should be asleep already but my mind is racing so I figured I'd check in with all of you. What are you gonna drink all day today (Superbowl Sunday)? I guess beer and wine aren't on the approved pre-op menu (LOL). I decided to skip going to the party with our family. I don't want to subject myself to watching everyone else pig out on chips and guacamole, etc. Maybe I'll watch a few episodes of Ellen and enjoy some laughs. Maybe take a nice walk? I'm due to check into the hospital at 5:45 am Monday and MUST get some sleep tomorrow night. Praying for no complications and minimal pain for all of us.

Ok. So it's 1:23 am in L.A. now. My husband took me out to a nice dinner for my last non-liquid meal prior to surgery. This is ACTUALLY going to happen! I should be asleep already but my mind is racing so I figured I'd check in with all of you. What are you gonna drink all day today (Superbowl Sunday)? I guess beer and wine aren't on the approved pre-op menu (LOL). I decided to skip going to the party with our family. I don't want to subject myself to watching everyone else pig out on chips and guacamole, etc. Maybe I'll watch a few episodes of Ellen and enjoy some laughs. Maybe take a nice walk? I'm due to check into the hospital at 5:45 am Monday and MUST get some sleep tomorrow night. Praying for no complications and minimal pain for all of us.

Don't read the complications page. Talk to your surgeon for personalized information. Stay mentally focused on a positive outcome! There's a separate topic with lots of helpful posts regarding the choice to tell or not to tell others about the surgery.

Feb. 3 at 5:45 a.m. (Holy S--T!) in L. A. at Kaiser Permanente with Dr. Benjamin Kim, the "Rock Star" of bariatric surgery! This is getting SUPER-REAL now with just days to go. Unjury Protein Sample Package arrived today wrapped like a gift with bright orange tissue paper! Also, Celebrate vitamins starter kit arrived. OMG!! I think the mobile version of this app won't let you add friends but click "full version" at the bottom which should work fine.

Thank you XXShelXX, you are the first person to respond to my posts. I feel like I'm part of the group now. Kudos to you Shaza1963! That sure must be tough! Stay strong, one day at a time -- you've GOT this! Shout out to all my fellow-FEB 3-ers: It's 4:30 a.m. now in L.A. and in EXACTLY ONE WEEK my alarm clock will be buzzing so I can check in for surgery at 5:45 a.m. It's official: I'm nervous now. :0(

Me too, February 3rd! OMG & YIPPEE -- all at once. There are several others that have posted the same date on Bariatric Pal. I'll take that as a great sign and keep you each in my thoughts as they wheel me into the O.R. - we're not alone, we have each other, so HERE's TO US!!

Hi XXShelXX, don't worry about set points/plateaus/stalls ~ distract yourself with a new scented candle, cologne, or some other reward for all the incredible progress you've made. I'm pretty sure I'd feel the same way you do and have an all-out toddler tantrum s well. Actually, the way you vented in writing here is also an excellent cathartic tool so give yourself credit for opening up to your online support system. By doing that you helped me focus on something OTHER than my own anxiety as my surgery approaches on Feb. 3!! Thank you - SINCERELY - for reminding me that I'm not alone on this crazy journey. When you DO break through to the wonderful 100's please document how it felt to encourage all of us when it's our turn. Blessings & Peace!

Holy crap is right! I met my surgeon Jan. 13. On Jan. 14 his office called me to offer a date of Feb. 3 (due to a cancellation). Before I could even think I found myself accepting. Jan. 21 I had my pre-op appt. with the surgeon, post-op diet coordinator, anesthesiologist, hospital pre-admittance person and the insurance coordinator. What a whirlwind! I lost the few pre-op pounds the surgeon required by the pre-op date. I was really lucky he didn't ask me to lose more. I need to arrive at 5:45 a.m. to prep. for surgery -- OMG! I am NOT a morning person!! Hey, at least the surgeon will be fresh and well rested -- even if I don't sleep the night before, right?! HA ha ha. 11 days and counting...Wish me luck, and the same to each of you.